OK- Yesterday I did end up buying dp a gift. I spent $26 on the gift and then $13 on a gift bag and chocolates and a card!!!! Shame : ( We did NOT go out to eat dinner though, so that helped a bunch. Total- $39.

Why is it so hard? I am really struggling with this. A lot of our money goes to grabbing food while we're out (we live an hour away from where we shop and go to the doctor, etc) and then just random stupid purchases when we don't have the money. The worst example that I am really ashamed of is that I have started trying to clean our house and so I'm changing the sheets more often. We only have one pair of sheets so I thought I would buy another set. I looked and ended up spending (I can't find the bag smiley but I need like 20 of them)$270 on sheets and a blanket to go with them. We desparately need that money elsewhere. What is WRONG with me?

Why is it so hard? I am really struggling with this. ... We desparately need that money elsewhere. What is WRONG with me?

have you opened and washed them yet? can you return them now that you've gotten out of there and come to your senses?

think of all the millions of research dollars going into the psychology of marketing. it is really hard to resist the constant messages to spend. and they tap into the human "hunter" instinct to get you to feel you're "bargain hunting," you feel that "high" of making a kill, then you feel sick when you get home.

citibank: "live richly" now, but be REALLY poor when you're retired.

"would you like fries with that?"

"shelter" magazines inspriring desire for new/different "decor."

coupons for overpriced processed foods. even after the "savings" they still cost more than store brands, and a lot more than scratch ingredients.

milk at the back of the grocery store, so you have to walk past all the other items, prominently displayed on endcaps. staples hidden on top and bottom shelves.

then you stand in line next to coolers of soda and shelves of magazines (something to read while you wait?). they probably have even studied how long of a wait it takes to get, say, 38.5% of patrons to purchase a snack, then staff the checkout lines appropriately.

consider resisting the brainwashing to be a subversive counterculture act. celebrate each successful foray into the world of commerce without purchasing more or more expensive stuff as a victory against the oppressor! much more fun than viewing yourself as "deprived."

ps: actively resisting buying more pretty (blue! red! pink!) nursing bras online. also, shopped in my closet last week and found i could finally fit into my jeans from before dd2 was conceived. (another 10# until i could fit pre-mama clothes, which are 6+ years out of date).

Why is it so hard? I am really struggling with this. A lot of our money goes to grabbing food while we're out (we live an hour away from where we shop and go to the doctor, etc) and then just random stupid purchases when we don't have the money. The worst example that I am really ashamed of is that I have started trying to clean our house and so I'm changing the sheets more often. We only have one pair of sheets so I thought I would buy another set. I looked and ended up spending (I can't find the bag smiley but I need like 20 of them)$270 on sheets and a blanket to go with them. We desparately need that money elsewhere. What is WRONG with me?

Where'd you get them? If it was a department store like Macy's or Nordstrom you can take them back even if they'd been opened. Just take them back. Go somewhere like Ross and get a set of sheets and no blanket. I got 2 sets of awesome queen sheets at ross a bit ago for $29. Really high thread count and designer name.

I also spend the most amount of money on food, even more so now that I'm pregnant. On Fridays DS has a therapy appointment 45 mins from home and it ends right around lunch time. It doesn't help that we go by 50 restaurants on the way there and back. I've even tried packing a lunch but some days we're so hurried to get out the door that I forget. Or I'm not in the mood for peanut butter and jelly so we stop for food anyway.

DP and I go through this on weekends too. The nearest stores are about 30 mins away and they are right near our fave places to eat so he always talks me into going out to dinner when we're up there, especially when DS is visiting with his dad for the night.

last wed: bought snow clothes for a trip we're taking this weekend. ... total >$500.

well i'm packing for the trip, and i look at the receipt, and realize they charged me 3 times for one jacket!!! first they charged the full price ($49), then charged it again, then charged the sale price. i think they meant to credit the full price on the second charge. the register was acting up (it took them >15 min to ring me up), and it made me running late to pick up dd1 from school, so i didn't look it over at the time, but i hed thought that $500 seemed high, although there were so many items that i thought i had just added badly in my head.

so that's $100 back! yippee! when i called they didn't think twice, and said to come in and they would adjust it. it made me get tempted to tell them they'd double charged on the other things that i actually did buy 2 of (long underwear and sweats), ethics schmethics...

Okay - thanks ladies. I told my dh about the purchase and told him that as soon as it comes we're sending it back. It was really hard. I felt like I was doing battle with myself because I KNOW I don't want to spend that much money and I want to get our finances in shape, but I also really WANTED those sheets. The luxuriousness that tempts us - for me it is almost like an addiction. But I beat it this time. Barely. This thread helps.

Okay - thanks ladies. I told my dh about the purchase and told him that as soon as it comes we're sending it back. It was really hard. I felt like I was doing battle with myself because I KNOW I don't want to spend that much money and I want to get our finances in shape, but I also really WANTED those sheets. The luxuriousness that tempts us - for me it is almost like an addiction. But I beat it this time. Barely. This thread helps.

Eek I haven't been here in forever!! Well I have to report in general I have done well. Today I bought some much needed shampoo bars and lotion, which totaled $25 with shipping. This will last me about six months though, so its not as bad as it sounds lol. Grocery shopping tomorrow, making the list now. Thats should be the only expense tomorrow...here's to hoping!!

I went to Target today (alone) to shope for DS's birthday presents and some party decorations and ended up buying some things I didn't need. I bought a Starbucks coffee ($3.34), some makeup that was on clearance that I also had a coupon for ($7.85 after coupon for 3 items), and two candles ($2.79/ea). Now here comes the rationalization...

I planned on buying the makeup and ended up getting the clearance items instead of the more expensive items. I wanted to buy one pilar candle, but they were pricey so I opted for two smaller jar candles and they ended up being less than the one pilar candle. The coffee...ummm....yeah, I got nothing.

I continue to be a complete disaster. I'm not even going to try to add it up. I'm not ready for this thread.

It's not about NEVER messing up, it's about being accountable! And on that note...

This weekend, I adopted a puppy- $250
I went to Ikea- $140

On top of smaller purchases not worth mentioning probably. That's a lot for me in one weekend! I just bought a new house though (moving in on the first!) and reallllllly needed a real honest to god computer desk. Of course I was roped into buying some other awesome Ikea things too though.

It's not about NEVER messing up, it's about being accountable! And on that note...

This weekend, I adopted a puppy- $250
I went to Ikea- $140

On top of smaller purchases not worth mentioning probably. That's a lot for me in one weekend! I just bought a new house though (moving in on the first!) and reallllllly needed a real honest to god computer desk. Of course I was roped into buying some other awesome Ikea things too though.

Congrats on the house.

We are in the process of getting our first. This accounability will certainly challenge me as we are shopping for the house.

OK, my new goal is no shopping, today through Easter (Lent+1, I'll call it). Well, no shopping aside from necessary grocery shopping. I'm not going to cut out my small cash allowance for coffee and lunch out once in a while (baby steps...), but I am leaving my credit cards at home for the next 41 days and not hitting any thrift stores, no Ebay, nothing. I plan to check in both here and on my blog.

Day 1 was easy--I've been home sick all day and don't even want to be shopping.

I'm new! I really need this thread, I'm so glad I found it. Since I've been on maternity leave, I find myself wanting to shop every day just to have a reason to get out of the house and go somewhere. Or I'll take walks to Starbucks and justify the purchase because I'm being so good by walking. But I need to cut it out!

Today I went to the Co-Op to buy food to make a huge meal for our friends that just had a new baby. But that place is so ridiculous, I spent $4 for an organic heirloom tomato, got it home and it's all mealy and had to throw it out. Ugh! I can justify all the stuff I got for friends, but I also got myself soup (could have eaten at home).

I'm doing well today. I haven't spent a cent, despite myself. I really wanted to get soup & a bagel & cookies out at our local bagel cafe, but talked myself into a can of chili with shredded cheese. Now I'm drinking a latte I made on our espresso machine with biscotti I got last time we were in a town with Trader Joe's. Success! In fact, I made $8 in credit at the local kids consignment store!

DP's dad died today so he has to fly out to Boston unexpectedly, it's probably gonna cost around $700 for the trip. That is an expense we really weren't planning on at all so I'm gonna have to be extra good for the next few months.

lessee... haven't posted in a while, haven't bought much lately, splurged on some expensive organic olive oil a week ago (the kind you drizzle on for flavor).

had to go to page 2 of my subscriptions to find this, so how's everyone else doing?

we got the big hospital bill for our share of dh's hit and run (car vs bicycle), $668, ouch. but better than the 9,000 pre-insurance charge. (most of it for CTscans, like ~8,000 of it. $129 for "pharmacy," which consisted of a couple injections of lidocaine before they stitched him up, and 1 vicodin and 1 motrin). but of course, the insurance only pays ~5K, and the rest is written off. such a game; who actually pays full price? only the uninsured?

and the ambulance bill came ($1,200), where they asked us to submit our car insurance because they thought it was a car accident. it will be paid by our med ins, but dh noticed they charged for things they didn't do, like an EKG. slimeballs probably pad a lot of bills, and the patients probably rarely know any better, since they're too sick/injured to remember.

and i had to go "shopping" into my box of pre-pregger (well, pre dd2) clothes, because my pants are falling off!!! yay!!! and maybe i'll get a pair of target capris when they go on sale, my summer uniform. i don't have any from this weight, i was more of a shorts gal back then.